PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Lager Assassin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Suren Nazarethyan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Assassin might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to yes. Nazarethyan has chosen Brennan Heart & Wildstylez - Lose My Mind as his entrance music. Lager Assassin has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Assassin
vs
Nazarethyan

170 cm
36
149 lbs
34 - 14 - 1

155 cm
26
150 lbs
21 - 4 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Hellbent
Hellraiser FightGear

Perkele!
Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 34 - 14 - 1, fighting out of London, Lager Assassin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 21 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Suren Nazarethyan!
The judges for this bout are Paul Tew, William Gold and Colin Fotheringham.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nazarethyan misses the shot to the body.
Nazarethyan lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Assassin shoots in for a takedown but Nazarethyan shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Nazarethyan has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Assassin is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Nazarethyan misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Assassin steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Nazarethyan.
Nazarethyan scores with a nice strike.
Assassin dives in and grabs Nazarethyan's left leg, looking for a takedown. Nazarethyan pushes down on Assassin's head and hops out.
Nazarethyan misses with a hook.
Assassin takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Nazarethyan lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Assassin lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Assassin misses with a body punch

and Nazarethyan counters with a takedown into side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Nazarethyan content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Assassin has improved his flexibility recently so we will have to see if he can use that to his advantage.
Assassin is looking for a sweep.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Assassin is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Nazarethyan's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.

Assassin looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Nazarethyan trying to control from half guard but Assassin is working away.
Nazarethyan stalling.

Assassin actively working from the bottom here.
Nazarethyan working to pass to mount. He's got his hand pressing down on Assassin's thigh. Assassin counters though and makes it back to full guard.
Nazarethyan wants to control from the top but Assassin keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nazarethyan preventing the sweep.
Assassin is trying to keep Nazarethyan in close.
Nazarethyan is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Assassin will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

Assassin is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Nazarethyan preventing the sweep.
Nazarethyan must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Nazarethyan working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Nazarethyan controlling from the top position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Assassin throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Assassin tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Assassin looking to control but Nazarethyan passes into half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Nazarethyan in particular looking to stall.
Nazarethyan wants to pass the guard but Assassin is defending well.
Assassin gets full guard.
Nazarethyan wants to control from the top but Assassin keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Assassin is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Nazarethyan is aware though and is defending well.
Assassin looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Nazarethyan looking to pass the guard.

Nazarethyan avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Assassin is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Assassin looking for a guillotine here but Nazarethyan defends easily.
Assassin wants to sweep here but Nazarethyan controlling him for the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Suren Nazarethyan will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Assassin will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Assassin tries to clinch there but Nazarethyan circles away.
Nazarethyan sizes up Assassin with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Assassin is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Nazarethyan.
Assassin gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Assassin tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Assassin waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Nazarethyan.
Assassin has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Nazarethyan.
Nice jab there from Nazarethyan.
Nazarethyan tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Assassin manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Assassin takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Assassin finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Assassin shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Nazarethyan as he jumps to the side.
Nice body punch from Nazarethyan.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Assassin throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Assassin walks into a jab.
Assassin shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Nazarethyan but Nazarethyan pushes him off and we're back to square one.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lager Assassin. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Assassin shoots in looking for a takedown but Nazarethyan manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Assassin's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Nazarethyan scores with a jab to the jaw.
Nazarethyan throws a poor cross that misses

and Assassin counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nazarethyan pulls Assassin in to control the position.
Nazarethyan working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Assassin.
Nazarethyan is trying to control the position but Assassin postures up.
Assassin slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Assassin throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Assassin working the strikes but Nazarethyan uses the opportunity to regain half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nazarethyan blocking the ground and pound attempt from Assassin.
Assassin throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Ground and pound from Assassin.
Assassin throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Nazarethyan works his way to full guard. Good work.
Assassin loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Lager Assassin overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Assassin trying to control the position from guard on top but Nazarethyan is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nazarethyan is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Nazarethyan is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Nazarethyan not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Assassin wants to improve his position but Nazarethyan is controlling well.
Assassin is refusing to be controlled, as Nazarethyan sits in half guard.
Assassin is trying to control but can't.
Nazarethyan content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.

Assassin looking for submissions off his back.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Nazarethyan trying to control the pace.
Nazarethyan is looking to take a break and control but Assassin is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

Assassin looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Nazarethyan in particular looking to stall.
Assassin has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Nazarethyan is working away from the top position though.
Well, if Nazarethyan is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Suren Nazarethyan was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Assassin wants to clinch
and Nazarethyan counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Assassin thinking.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Nazarethyan throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Nazarethyan bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Nazarethyan avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Suren Nazarethyan will probably get the nod - 10:9.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Nazarethyan lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Nazarethyan comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Nazarethyan lands with a nice body punch.
Assassin tries for a takedown but Nazarethyan sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Nazarethyan cracks the inside of Assassin's front leg.
Assassin takes one to the chin there.
Nazarethyan throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Nazarethyan cracks Assassin with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Assassin connects with a crisp jab.
Assassin takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nazarethyan feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Assassin's calf.
Assassin on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Assassin is defended easily by Nazarethyan.
Assassin tries to close the distance and clinch but Nazarethyan swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Assassin is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nazarethyan jabs at Assassin's body.
Assassin looks to land a left hand but Nazarethyan moved out of range nicely.
Assassin tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nazarethyan paws at him with a jab and circles away.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Assassin.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lager Assassin. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Assassin takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Assassin tries to clinch but Nazarethyan moves out of range.
Assassin takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Assassin fails with a takedown attempt.
Assassin misses with a looping right.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Nazarethyan lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Assassin has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Assassin and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Assassin keeps the fight on the outside.
Nazarethyan connects with a solid leg kick.
Assassin takes a jab right on the kisser.
Suren Nazarethyan is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Assassin shoots in but Nazarethyan avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Nazarethyan tries to clinch up but Assassin circles away and keeps his distance.
Nazarethyan slips a jab from Assassin.
Nazarethyan bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Assassin throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Nazarethyan counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Assassin takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Assassin throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Nazarethyan counters with a shoot takedown. Assassin fights it but they end up in guard.
Nazarethyan wants to control from the top but Assassin keeps moving.
Assassin tries to land a sweep but no joy.

Assassin is looking for a triangle here but Nazarethyan uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Assassin is not content to let Nazarethyan control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Assassin is looking to regain half guard here but Nazarethyan keeps moving and retains side control.
Assassin looking for a sweep but Nazarethyan has passed into full mount! Oh no!
Nazarethyan controlling the position easily from mount.
Let's hope that Nazarethyan has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Assassin can't escape the position.
Lager Assassin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nazarethyan controlling from mount.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Suren Nazarethyan hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Assassin thows a left - swing and a miss!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A big right from Assassin misses.
A big left from Assassin misses.
Nazarethyan jabs Assassin to the body, keeping him at a distance.
A low kick from Assassin is predictable there
and Nazarethyan counters with a lovely straight right hand!

And that's the end of the fight!
Suren Nazarethyan comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Nazarethyan has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 27:30
Judge William Gold scores the fight 27:30
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Suren Nazarethyan!
A victorious Suren Nazarethyan thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.